We got a deal on tickets to London, but we want to go to Normandy. What is the best way to get there? Plane to Paris and then a rental car? Train to Paris and then a rental car? Other?
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The %26quot;best%26quot; way depends on a number of factors. What parts of Normandy do you want to visit? Is your interest primarily or only in the D-day beaches and the immediately surrounding area? How much time do you have set aside for the trip? Do you intend to spend any time in Paris? if so, how much?
I assume you will be returning to London after your visit, yes?
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We will be in France nearly 2 weeks (21 April - 2 May). I just made the reservations last night, so our plans are still pretty loose. We are not planning to spend time in Paris, except possibly an overnight either inbound or outbound. That said, here are some of our initial thoughts regarding places/things we would like to see:
- WW II beaches/cemeteries/museum(s) (2 days?)
- Mont St Michel (1 day, 2 nights?)
- Bayeaux Tapestry
- Giverny (Monet%26#39;s studio and garden)
- Rouen
- possibly Tours
Beyond Normandy, our thoughts include Rennes in Brittany, possibly a couple days in the Loire valley and a stop at Chartres on our way back toward Paris.
Obviously, we will need to have a car.
I don%26#39;t get completely locked in with our plans and reservations in case we encounter unpleasant weather (a real possibility that time of year). In the event of a long stretch of bad weather, we will probably head south (Nimes) or east to the Route de Vin in Alsace.
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I assume RC-Boulder and Alors are one and the same, right?
I think you have the framework of a good itinerary. I%26#39;d probably suggest skipping Rennes and I%26#39;d like to give the other details some thought.
Meanwhile since you don%26#39;t seem to be p\ushed for time I think a great way to get to Normandy from London would be to take the ferry from Portsmouth to Ouistreham near Caen. You%26#39;d probably have to head into Caen (I think there is a shuttle, if not a 15 km taxi ride) and pick up a car there.
www.brittanyferries.co.uk
Give me a yell if the link doesn%26#39;t work. I typed it from memory.
If you could spend a day ijn Portsmouth I think you would enjoy it enormously. The Historic Dockyard houses Nelson%26#39;s HMS Victory, the iron-hulled and enormously impressive HMS Warrior and the Royal Navy museum among other things worth seeing. And there are a few good pubs around too...
Probably Eurostar would be the best way to get back to London.
I%26#39;ll give this a bit more thought and get back to you. Meanwhile give me another holler if you have any more Qs.
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IrishRovr, Paris is clouding your thoughts?
My suggestion: Plane direct from London Stansted to Dinard on RyanAir $50 oneway. quick, cheap %26amp; easy. Bypass Paris altogether. Once you%26#39;re in Dinard, you can train or rent a car. Normandy will be just a couple hours away at most.
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Nope. My thoughts were not in the least clouded by Paris or anything else.
Since the OP seems to have a bit of time to make this trip, I think the ferry would be a delightful way to arrive in Normandy from England. No doubt the Ryanair flight would be quicker and cheaper, but it wouldn%26#39;t be my first choice unless both time and money were of the essence, and not even my second if time were the primary consideration. YMMV...
And I%26#39;d certainly rather spend a day in Portsmouth than an hour in Stansted...
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Sorry to be so slow in responding. Thanks to both of you for your advice. We took the %26quot;easy%26quot; way out - BA from Heathrow to Paris. The schedules for the ferries were challenging considering our flight schedules. In any case, the die is cast. We fly through London to Paris where we%26#39;ll pick up our rental car and drive to Giverny for the first night. Next night at Rouen. Four nights at Honfleur, 1 night at Mont St Michel, then down to the Loire Valley for 4 nights at Chateau de Beaulieu (Joué-lès-Tours). On our return we%26#39;ll stay near CDG and catch a morning BA flight to LHR.
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